Sell, Stock or Store

[bellalyssa]

I found out yesterday that I have been approved to move to England in December of this year or January of next year. With that in mind, I have to figure out what I'm going to do with my car. I don't know how long I'll be there or if I'd come back at all so it makes it a bit more difficult.

The way I see it I have three options:

1) Sell the car with the aftermarket parts on it and hope to get around $9000 for it. With the newer engine I feel like I could convince someone to buy it for that price especially considering what would come with it.

2) Stock the car out and sell it. This would involve replacing a lot of things... something I'm not too keen on doing. If I did this, I think I could get around $9500 for her. It depends on how a newer engine affects the price of the vehicle.

3) Store the car. Without knowing how long I'll be gone, I feel like this may be a bit risky and expensive. However, if I'm only going to be gone a few months then perhaps this is more worth it than selling the car.

Input would be appreciated. The only reason I'm asking so early is that if I decide to stock the car out, I'll need all of the time I can get to get the parts I need.

Thanks guys

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According to KBB that car is worth $9700 in good condition... with the 71,000 mile engine at least.

[RX-7 Chris]

That's a tough one without knowing how long you will be gone.

[bellalyssa]

That's a tough one without knowing how long you will be gone.

I know :/ at minimum it'll be six months. But if I get accepted to graduate school overseas then it'll be at minimum 2.5 years.

[geo2maz]

Congrats on the cool opp.!
If you part out, or sell, trade me your black wheels for my stock MS3 wheels

[Huzer]

6 months, I'd consider storing it. Most likely though, I'd likely sell it. It is an easily replaceable Mazda3.

[alex_n/a]

if you have someone you can trust here, then store it and if you decide to stay much longer overseas then have that person you trust sell the car for you and transfer the monet through a bank.

congrats btw

[Learjet45]

Alex doesn't have a bad idea. The only issue I see with it is having someone who isn't the registered owner selling it. That could become an issue I think.

I'm with Huzer though. It's not like it's impossible to find another Mazda3. You could always take off the aftermarket parts and store those if you see yourself getting another MZ3 someday and sell the car.

[erod550]

I'd stock out and sell the car and sell the aftermarket parts separately. You will get the most money out of it that way. Most people don't want to buy modded cars, and people who would want to mod generally want to do the modding themselves so they can make it their own.

[Operator]

If it's 6 months, store it. If you get accepted to grad school, have a power of attorney set up for someone to be able to sell it on your behalf. But in 3 years, you most likely won't want your 3. You'll have better finances a most likey prefer a more expensive car. But note, the cost of living in England is crazy as you'll find out.

[roninsoldier83]

I'd stock out and sell the car and sell the aftermarket parts separately. You will get the most money out of it that way. Most people don't want to buy modded cars, and people who would want to mod generally want to do the modding themselves so they can make it their own.

+1


I would definitely return it to stock, sell the parts and sell the car. I've done this numerous times on previous cars, it's the best way to recoup your cash, and if you're traveling overseas, IMO, it's a good idea to have extra cash on hand.

Selling a stock car is going to be easier than selling a modded car, and should demand a slightly higher price as well. If you have family members that could store the car for free for you, I suppose that's one route you can consider, but if you have to pay to store it, well, it's not cheap to say the least, and you're far better off just selling it, saving your cash, and if you decide to come back, just buy another one.

I would echo what others have said above, a Mazda 3 hatch is easily replaceable. No point in paying for storage, insurance & taking on an additional concern while you're overseas.

I know returning it to stock can seem like a daunting task, but trust me it's worth it... on my old STI, parting it out yielded not only a higher selling value, I also recouped almost $6000 selling parts. What all do you have done to it?

[erod550]

Yea, taking my Speed3 back to stock, or at least closer to stock, before trading it in financed the mods on the Mustang, heh.

[roninsoldier83]

Just another thought.... you're going to be in the UK.... there's another car over there that is built on the same chassis as your Mazda 3: the Euro Ford Focus. If you get over there, decide you like it & want to stay, but miss your MZ3 chassis, you'll have options to buy a couple cars I would love to own; namely the Ford Focus ST & Ford Focus RS

Just a thought.

[bellalyssa]

I'll be staying with a family friend in Morecambe and working in Manchester. Rent would be free and I could carpool in with her since both businesses are in the same building. I'd like to have the extra cash for fun money but in all honesty I don't need it. If I end up staying longer than the 6 month visa allows then I'll probably apply for residency and buy a super cool Focus RS or find a primo BMW over there.

As I'm thinking, I think stocking it out would be a good start. I don't have THAT much done to it:

Shocks, Springs, Motor Mounts, Intake, Wheels

I can get a lot of those replacement parts, brand new on the cheap. Those aftermarket bits will get me some money as well.

[erod550]

You could also work out trades with the people buying the aftermarket stuff to get their stock stuff in return for a little discount.

[ZoomMe]

Stock it and sell it...that way your options are open over there plus you have cash to manuver. I know it more work but you will be proud of your effort!